Rumour Has It
by arbitraryink
Summary: A collection of drabbles and ficlets written for Team Dom at Goldenlake's SMACKDOWN 2010.
1. The Search

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

* * *

Title: The Search  
Rating: G  
Length: 193  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Hide-and-seek with a pregnancy charm.

* * *

"No, no, no!"

Dom looked up from the letter he was penning home to see Kel half under the bed, butt stuck in the air and voice muffled by the small space. "Er, what exactly are you doing?"

At his comment she backed partway out, just far enough to glare at him through the hair falling into her eyes. "You could get down here and help me, you know!" Dom knew there was no use arguing with this tone of voice and with a sigh, crawled onto the floor next to her.

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"My pregnancy charm!" she exclaimed, peering into the dark again. Dom jerked his head up and cursed when he thumped the bed frame. Paying him no notice, Kel continued, "I _know_ I was wearing it under my tunic last night, but there was spiced wine and you and, well, I can't remember what I did with it!"

"You mean to tell me that _you weren't wearing it last night?"_

-

In the suite of rooms upstairs, Piers and Ilane smirked at each other. One way or another, they were going to get those blue-eyed grandbabies.


	2. Guard Horse

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Guard Horse  
Rating: G  
Length: 275  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Peachblossom likes to act as Kel's chaperone.

Peachblossom was quite possibly the worst part about being with Kel. For a while Dom had been sure that the warhorse could tell the difference between him and Sir Meathead, but that discrimination had ended hard and fast.

Of course, it was probably Dom's fault for cornering Kel when she was in the middle of grooming the gelding. Had Neal been there, he'd have told Dom that it was sheer idiocy that had him unlatching the stall door, backing Kel into the corner, and telling her surprised face to "just shut up and let me kiss you." He hadn't even made it all the way to her mouth when he heard Peachblossom snort, and had just barely touched his lips to hers when the gelding caught a fair bit of flesh on Dom's bicep between his teeth.

That was just the first time. Somehow that horse guessed Dom's intentions every time, and refused to let the young man get away with anything. Stealing any kisses had to be done far enough away from camp that Peachblossom wouldn't sense it and pull free of his picket, and clandestine embraces had to be had when Kel was riding Hoshi to give Peachblossom a break.

The sparrows had no problem with Dom – in fact, he felt they rather liked him, what with the way they lined up on his horse's mane in the mornings and preened his hair with their beaks during their afternoon ride. Whatever it was that Peachblossom was holding against Dom, he made sure to keep well away. One painful bruise was all he really cared to have.

Besides, that gelding just liked the attention.


	3. Just a Test

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Just a Test  
Rating: G  
Length: 375  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Dom takes Neal's threat very seriously.

For his two whole weeks of leave, he studiously avoided Kel. The palace was large and he was positive that it wouldn't be difficult, but Dom definitely didn't count on finding her every place he tried to take refuge. The third time he turned a corner and almost bumped into her back, Dom started wondering if maybe paranoia was a valid concern, that maybe he really was stalking her unconsciously. Neal had made it quite clear the very first day his squad arrived in Corus –

_Neal grabbed Dom by the shoulder and dragged him forward until they were almost nose to nose. This was a side of his cousin that Dom had never seen, but although he knew he could probably take down Sir Meathead in a fight, the look in Neal's eye hinted that this was a precarious situation._

_"You may be my family," Neal threatened, "but if you keep giving Kel those steamy looks, I'm going to spell you silly." A fist fight was one thing, but once Neal brought his Gift into it... well, that made Dom a little wary._

_"Steamy looks? Don't you think you're exaggerating a bit?" he tried tentatively, but lifted his hands in defeat when Neal glowered at him._

_"She isn't one of those girls, Domitan! Promise me!"_

Well, they were as close as brothers and after all, a promise was a promise. Maybe staying away from his new pal had its merits – none of the city girls would be scared away by her commanding presence.

"I thought hide-and-seek was a child's game, but I think I'm losing."

Dom jumped just about a foot into the air at Kel's voice, looking around wildly to find her standing with her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised. "Can't stay – you're not – I said –" he spluttered, flattening himself against the wall behind him. "If Neal –"

He broke off when Kel laughed, and stared at her as she said, "Actually, Neal sent me here to find you. He wanted me to give you this note."

Taking the proffered parchment with budding suspicion, Dom unrolled it and read aloud:

"Just testing you! My support and best wishes to the happy couple!"

That meathead was definitely in for it now.


	4. A Little Loss of Sanity

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: A Little Loss of Sanity  
Rating: G  
Length: 220  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Wyldon could use a break from the Queenscove madness.

"If I had a stone for every time my sergeant smiles at your knight, I could build a bridge from here to Carthak." The air was crisp, the sun was shining, and Raoul was beaming. There was nothing to cause Wyldon's poor mood, but here he was, scowling like a jilted lover.

"Well," he retorted, glancing sidelong at Lady Knight Keladry and Sergeant Domitan, "she had better mind her orders and remember that she is a knight, not a common tavern girl with an itch to dance."

"But have you never seen her dance, my lord of Cavall?" Raoul nudged his gelding a bit closer to Wyldon's mare. "She certainly is lively, isn't she?" With a wink, Raoul moved off to chat with another member of the own, leaving Wyldon to scowl at his back.

The lady knight had no cause to be dancing when there was work to be done. She was, after all, still under his jurisdiction and therefore under his orders. A laugh drew her attention, and he looked over again to see Kel struggling to mask a grin with a reproving glare, while Dom snickered and gestured with both hands, driving his horse with his knees. It was like having Queenscove around all over again.

Mithros, Wyldon thought a rare eye-roll upwards, grant me some sanity.


	5. Rumour Has It

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Rumour Has It  
Rating: G  
Length: 188  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Neal is _such_ a troublemaker!

When it rains, it pours. That was the first thought that struck Kel as she gritted her teeth and braced her back against the heavy oak door. Once the gossip started going, there was no way to stop it - even if it seemed like the rumours had died, she knew from experience that they were still being passed in whispers.

Whoever had started that ridiculous story about Dom cornering her in the stables was full of utter crock. She knew very well where she'd been that morning, thank you very much, and had a witness to attest to it! Of course, it would have been nice if the witness was anywhere to be found...

Since that gossip had started to spread through the palace, Kel found that court ladies were deliberately bumping into her, servants were grinning and winking, and Baird of Queenscove had absently given her shoulder an affectionate pat while on his way from the kitchens to the infirmary.

So much for my witness, Kel thought to herself with a grimace. Neal was probably the one who had started it all in the first place.


	6. Nightmares

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Nightmares  
Rating: PG  
Length: 267  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Everyone needs a little comfort.

Sometimes she wakes up in the night, bathed in a cold sweat, the bitter tinge of fear clinging to everything she sees and hears and smells. She remembers the end of the Scanran War, how in the end it got worse before it improved, and how so many innocents died in the desire to save their own countries.

People still speak to her courage in tracking the refugees from the camp she was assigned as a green knight, and they tell her that she should feel grateful for the ones she saved, not sorry for the enemy who did their utmost to bring Tortall to its knees. But Kel isn't built that way. It is not in her nature to pray for hers and curse theirs – she grieves for them all, and sometimes compassion must take a toll.

There is always fear, she learns, and there is always regret. The what-ifs never fade and to shoulder a burden by oneself is a struggle more than her Ordeal had been.

But when she wakes from these nightmares, there is a voice in the dark; there is a blue-eyed man next to her who reaches out and brings her close and whispers words of comfort in her ear. She appreciates this man because he is everything strong that she needs in a friend and tells her what she most needs to hear when she is at her weakest.

Perhaps in the day he is jolly and spreads himself thin amongst the men who call him friend, but at night he is hers and is the pillar she cannot lose.


	7. Hope

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Hope  
Rating: PG  
Length: 167  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Morning must always come.

There is little about war that is attractive, and perhaps Domitan of Masbolle is one who knows this the most. He is a seasoned veteran, and he knows that others under his command are equally as familiar with pain and tragedy and bitter craving.

On the hardest nights, he knows that there are men who bed each other, because every little bit of comfort helps to hold the night terror at bay. Even as grown men, there are nightmares in the dark. A dreamless sleep draught is the only bit of magic that can keep the dreams from coming, but in the middle of war such a charm is more costly than warm lodgings for the night.

This is why Dom feels that he is lucky, because he has Kel and even in the darkest nights in the deepest depths of a war that is unending, he can hold her close and breathe in her scent and know that morning must always come. That is his hope.


	8. Pillars to Lean On

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Pillars To Lean On  
Rating: G  
Length: 448  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Kel reflects on the men in her life.

It started with her father – but doesn't it always? Piers had been her hero for more years than she could count. Since she was just a little girl he'd comforted her when she couldn't sleep, and if she believed he'd hung the moon just for her, who could blame her? Though this love was unconditional, as fathers went, he was certainly her favourite.

Her brothers had been there when she'd needed childhood companionship. They were old enough that they didn't want to spend every waking minute playing with their baby sister, but young enough to recognise that sometimes Kel smiled specially just for them. Maybe she hated Conal just a bit for hanging her out the balcony that time, but Anders was there to counter the bitterness with his quiet support throughout her quest for knighthood. Her love for her family would endure, if simply because it was reciprocated.

Neal was there when she had no one else, and when her first weeks of page training became too much to bear he was always available with a snarky comment, an easy smile, and a pile of punishment work even higher than her own. There was never a time that his good humour and wit failed to lighten her mood. For this she loved her best friend, and he could never be replaced.

She'd never in a hundred years expected Raoul of Goldenlake to adopt her the way he had, befriending her against all odds and rejoicing in her prevalence. He was a kind and patient teacher, and she believed that he learned nearly as much from her as she had from him. There was no doubt that she might have failed without his staunch encouragement from her page years to her knighthood. She loved him as a second father, and knew he returned the sentiment.

But at the end of the list was the one man Kel feared she would lose after serving her four years as squire. Domitan of Masbolle, with his fast and carefree grin, his bright eyes with all their mischief – now, he was one she was most grateful for. Through her life she'd had so many friends that they outnumbered her enemies, but this was a friend who made her heart race with his laugh, who made her face heat with his compliments, and who made her entire body tingle at the touch of his hand. Never would she tell him and risk losing him forever, but she knew in her heart that should she ever leave her knightly duties and settle down, it would be with him and no other. That too was love, she knew, and she would never let that go.


	9. The Art of Spectating

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: The Art of Spectating  
Rating: G  
Length: 390  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Neal comments on Kel's life, Dom comments on Neal's. It's always just a circle.

The second week of page training was always the worst. Keladry knew this from personal experience and thought that it was cruel and unusual to be sitting on the fence surrounding the practice yard, watching as the first year students had finger after finger beat with staffs and the older pages tried with all their hearts to impress the onlookers with the learning they'd kept over the summer holiday.

"Is it necessary to do this?" she'd asked with a scowl, remembering her own humiliation at the hands of conservative pages. "I can think of a hundred places to be right now, and publicly unnerving of unconfident children is not high on my list."

Neal beamed at her and threw his arm about her shoulder. "Keladry, my friend, how else will we find you a prospective squire? You're looking at the cream of the crop right here. Best pages we've seen since we ourselves were but wee seedlings in the garden of knighthood."

"Yep," Dom added from her other side, leaning against her free shoulder and sighing. "I remember those days, back when you were a soft little rosebud and my cousin here was writing letter after letter extolling your many virtues."

"Right," Neal shot back at him, "the days when you had nothing on your mind but a pair of pretty eyes and a little bit of cleavage. Kel, why don't you leave this sorry muck of a man? There are plenty of people who would be pleased to take you away from his hold. Like our little friend Owen – "

"You know quite well he's engaged," Kel answered. "To Lord Wyldon's daughter, nonetheless. But if I were to leave this sorry sop, who would keep his nose out of trouble? Such a pretty nose that it is." With a tweak of that very nose she swung off the fence and with a little wave started across the yard toward the stables. "In the meantime, I'll be doing some real work. You know where I'll be if we're summoned."

"She's got you quite figured out, Sergeant Cousin," Neal said, sighing. "But I don't trust you and commitment."

"Well," answered Dom, "if you could stay married as long as you have, then I think anyone else alive could handle it." He grinned and started after Kel. "We'll see _you_ at dinner."


	10. Babysitting

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Babysitting  
Rating: G  
Length: 229  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Until Neal and Yuki began their breeding, Domitan never knew how loud babies could be.

"Thank the Goddess you came! Make her stop wailing!" he begged the second he opened the door to find Kel standing on the other side. "She hasn't stopped crying since my meathead cousin and his wife left and I don't know what to do with her!"

"Well," Kel answered dryly, "the first thing you should do is change her. I can smell the fumes from over here."

"That's natural?" Dom asked wildly, looking around the room. "I thought maybe that was the smell of the Black God, just waiting around the corner to take me to death."

If anything, the changing didn't calm the baby down; it simply made her scream louder. "Perhaps she's hungry," Kel suggested, hiding a smile at the panic on her husband's face. "If you get through this," she added, "perhaps we can have a little time to ourselves while she takes a nap."

"She takes naps? Does she know what that is?"

After watching him fumble for a couple of minutes, Kel took pity on her husband and patted him gently on the back. "How about you go sit down and rest that head for a bit? I'll finish the little miss up here and you can rest." Watching him stumble into the sitting room, she shook her head. Maybe she'd wait a few more weeks because suggesting they put away the pregnancy charm.


	11. Softhearted

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Softhearted  
Rating: G  
Length: 200  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: The usefulness of a name.

It was late when Kel rode into the village, thinking about nothing but a hot bath and a soft bed. To the young boy who came to gather her horses' reins she flipped a copper noble; he grabbed it and shoved it deep into his pocket before leading the mare into the stable. After a long week of riding in and out of camps in the pouring rain, she was quite prepared for a bit of comfort.

What she didn't expect was to walk into her rooms at the wayhouse and find a meal prepared on a tray by the bed, a single candle burning on the side table, and the scent of lilacs drifting from a deep washbasin against the wall.

With a smile, she stepped forward, taking Dom's hand and letting him pull her to the floor next to him. "A candlelight meal just for us?" she asked, stretching her legs with a sigh and reaching for a soft roll. "This late in the evening, how could you have kept everything so well?"

"Oh," he answered, pulling her close and passing a plate of cheese, "I can talk many people around so long as your name is dropped."


	12. Spring Fling

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Spring Fling  
Rating: G  
Length: 211  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: We always knew Raoul was omniscient.

"Don't you just love this time of year?" Raoul asked Kel, swinging his arms to encompass their surroundings as they walked. "The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming and the snow is months away. Makes a person want to find someone to spend the beauty of the day with!"

"I suppose," Kel answered carefully. "I've been terribly busy trying to get the month's inventory finished, and there are always the menial tasks around New Hope that have to get done, pretty weather or not. Besides, aside from you, who has the time for romance?"

"Some of us have nothing better to do. I'm off to find my wife. You'd do well to head that-a-way right away. Someone I know thought he was being sneaky when he was asking about the town, but I know everything." With a wink, Raoul moved off, heading down a path toward the camp he and his men had set up. "I'll be sending him on an errand in about ten minutes. Even young lovers need time to themselves in the spring!"

Mortified, Kel watched her former knight-master go. They had been so careful! Well, she supposed as she began walking in the direction Raoul had indicated, at least it wasn't Neal...


	13. Meet the Parents

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Meet the Parents  
Rating: G  
Length: 184  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Dom charms everyone.

"You know, I wasn't really sure what to expect," Dom said, casually patting Kel's arm and settling on a bench in the gardens. "Your mother, well, she is a very lovely person. One hell of a glare, but lovely enough."

"You must be joking," responded Kel, plopping down beside him and stretching her legs with a groan. "I thought she was going to get up and punch you. Telling them you were my paid escort? I can hardly imagine what she'd have done if you hadn't rephrased."

"Well, really, your parents must know you quite well. And I'm far too well-dressed to serve as a common prostitute."

The word sent Kel's cheeks into full-on blushing mode and she elbowed her companion hard in the ribs. "Stop that!" she hissed, glancing around them. "At least my father – "

" – has a sense of humour?" Dom finished, and turned to touch Kel's cheek. "Really, though, I do find your parents charming. Do you think they approve?"

"How could they not? It's those big blue eyes of yours. Are you sure you're not related to the king?"


	14. All Work

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: All Work  
Rating: G  
Length: 342  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: Baron Piers would like some more grandbabies, please.

Baron Piers of Mindelan held his arms wide as his daughter stepped through, breeches and tunic in the Mindelan blue and grey. "It has been too long," Kel told her father, stooping a bit to kiss her father on each cheek. "I'm sorry my letters have been short and far between, but I haven't had much free time in the last year."

"We understand," her mother replied, and Kel turned to give Ilane the same hug and kisses she'd shared with her father. "We've missed and worried about you, but you've got your life and so we must trust in it."

"But I hope you have been finding some time for fun," Piers put in, offering his arm to lead Kel to the sitting room. "A little bit of pleasure never hurt the soul, and working all hours of the day won't quickly bring me grandbabies."

Ilane touched her husband's arm and smiled at Kel. "Not that a man should be your only goal in life. We raised you to know what is important. When she's ready to settle down, my dear, then she will do so, and without your nagging on her conscience!"

For a moment Kel hesitated, then looked at her feet and said casually, "Actually, mama, I did meet a man. I mean, I didn't meet him, because I already knew him, but I had met him at one time, I mean when I was a squire, that is – " She broke off, looking a little flustered, but when she caught her mother's raised brow she added quickly, "Well, you know Neal of course –"

There was something to be said for the expressions that passed her parents' faces. "But it isn't Neal, I assure you. It's his cousin. A bit less chatty, maybe, but..."

When the maid appeared with tea, Ilane leaned over to Piers and whispered, "Well, her friend Neal _is_ rather attractive. I suppose his cousin would share some resemblance?"

In response Piers whispered back, "Those will make for some pretty grandbabies, that I tell you!"


	15. Ladies Man

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Ladies' Man  
Rating: G  
Length: 299  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: He'll take what he can get.

It wasn't that Dom had a problem with Kel – it was that the _ladies_ did. At least, that was what he told himself. Sergeant in the Own wasn't something overlooked by women without husbands, and he had no problem with that at all. Young or old, they seemed to flock to him, each with a hairstyle more elaborate and dresses more low-cut than the women before them. Whether on the road or staying through Midwinter in Corus, Dom had never lacked for companionship.

One rainy summer, when the Third Company was requested to prevent a coastal fief from flooding, he had been exchanging looks with a pretty young lady and intended to flirt a bit before assignments drew him elsewhere. It may not have been in his interests to share his intentions (in the mess, and loudly) with the rest of his squad, but he never thought about it until one afternoon he winked at her, and was instead treated to a glare and her backside – which, while flattering, was a clear snub.

Maybe he stood with his mouth open for a minute longer than was necessary because from behind him he heard Kel's unmistakable snort. "Gee, Sergeant Domitan, I didn't think you to be the type to insult a female so openly." However innocent the words sounded, Dom knew a slur when he heard one. Turning his whole body around, he prepared offended words at the tip of his tongue, only to bite them back with a scowl.

His friend of Mindelan was grinning, clear amusement all over her face. Well, maybe she wasn't as pretty as that other town girl, but Kel was as close a friend as could get as well as a warrior in his class and, well, he _was_ a ladies' man after all.


	16. Worst Present Ever

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind.

Title: Worst Present Ever  
Rating: G  
Length: 259  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: In which Dom tries to buy Kel a gift.

"Cut it out, okay?" Dom muttered, elbowing his cousin in the ribs. "I didn't show you so that you could make fun of me, I showed you because I need some advice! _You're_ her friend, _you_ know what she likes!"

For a moment Neal quieted, and arched an elegant brow at the selection of coin purses laid carefully out on the desk.

"A coin purse was the best you could think of?"

"Well, Kel has coins too!" Dom said defensively, and folded his arms with a frown. "And she could use one for lots of things, it doesn't just have to be for coins, it could be for... for..."

Neal waited. Dom searched for a second, then cried with relief, "For seeds for the birds! That's what she could put in it!"

"Let me understand," Neal drawled, surveying the fabrics. "You bought Kel a pouch for coins or for birdseed. You think this is a romantic gesture and for your efforts, you hope to get a kiss. And so you bring to me a set of these very pouches in a variety of colours, asking which she'd like the most?"

"Or maybe I should give her all of them," Dom said to himself, furrowing his brows as he thought. "One for every day of the week. One for every outfit she owns. One for –"

With a shake of his head, Neal left his cousin to ponder it on his own. Surely _he'd _never been such a fool when wooing Lady Yukimi. Surely that was a Masbolle trait alone.


	17. This River is Wild

Written for the fanfiction SMACKDOWN at fiefgoldenlake . proboards . com

Disclaimer: All characters and concepts belonging to the Tortallan universe are the sole property of Tamora Pierce. No copyright infringement is intended, nor will this project be used for profit of any kind. The title of fic comes from The Killers' song of the same name.

Title: This River Is Wild  
Rating: PG  
Length: 359  
Competitor: Dom  
Round/Fight: 1/A  
Summary: War is no place for love.

He knew, perhaps more than anyone, that war held no time for love. There were patrols to be arranged, sieges to be carried out, and bodies to take care of. There was a constant rush of adrenaline in the blood, speeding up the heart and blocking out pain and exhaustion until the worst of the dirty work was done. In war, there are no petty squabbles and those that do exist are stamped out right away. When lives were at stake, there could be no turning on each other because it's watch out or die.

With the death of Blayce the Gallan came the end of the killing machines, but not the end of the war. Perhaps King Maggur had lost his greatest weapons, but he still had thousands of lesser ones – more Scanran men were turning into soldiers every day, and this meant that the war would continue. Battles would be fought along the border, skirmishes large and small that left each side considerably damaged. Dom was there continuously, plying his blade wherever he could and shouting orders until his voice grew hoarse.

At the end of the days he welcomed the relief, riding with his squad back to camp or New Hope or Mastiff or anywhere they could reach before collapse. From this distance he watched her, saw her come and go, saw her arm her people and command the watch from the walls. Keladry was a commander like few he'd ever seen, and this was one of the things that drew him. He could hardly imagine the delicate ladies he'd once courted back in the days of peace in the realm; instead, the only images he could conjure in his mind were those of a commanding presence, of broad shoulders and muscled legs, of short hair and strong arms and a smile that was contagious.

Every day he was drawn to her, greedy for a glimpse of her and if none were awarded, then his dark mood would keep the other men at bay. Perhaps one day his passion would be acknowledged; until then, he accepted that love was not an option. But he could wait.


End file.
